TEHRAN – Islamic revolutionary leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei addressed thousands of women in Tehran on Wednesday, speaking about their status and achievements.
In his speech, the leader first mentioned the qualities of Fatima Al Zahra (SA), the beloved daughter of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), adding that Iranian women can draw lessons from “such a sun”. He described the important female figure in Islam as a heavenly human being endowed with the highest virtues in all dimensions. He outlined Islamic views on the dignity and rights of women both within the family and in society, and explained the obligations and boundaries that men must observe when acting towards their wives and women in various situations.
Khamenei then mentioned the immense virtues of Lady Fatima Zahra (pbuh), including worship and devotion, sacrifice and selflessness for her people, resilience in hardships and trials, courageous advocacy of the truth and the oppressed, enlightening others and revealing the truth, understanding and practicing political responsibility, excellent household management, support for her husband, excellence in child-rearing, and her presence in major events of early Islamic history.
He reminded the audience that, “Praise be to God, the women of Iran seek guidance and inspiration from such a luminary who, according to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), is the leader of women of all ages and throughout the world, striving to progress according to her purpose.”
The leader said that the status of women in Islam is very high and noble, stressing that “the Quran’s expressions of women’s identity and character are among the noblest and most progressive.”
The leader referred to Quranic verses about “the equal role of women and men in the life and history of humanity, and the equal potential of women and men to reach spiritual perfection and the highest heights,” and said, “All these truths directly contradict the misconceptions of those who claim to believe in religion without truly understanding it, and those who reject religion altogether.”
Explaining the Quran’s logic regarding women’s rights in society, Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized: “In Islam, women have equal rights as men in social activities, business, political involvement, holding most government positions, and other areas, and the path to their advancement in spiritual growth and in both individual and collective endeavors remains open.”
“In Islam, in order to preserve women’s dignity and suppress their very strong and dangerous sexual urges, there are regulations regarding ‘interactions between men and women, the clothing of men and women, women’s hijab, and the encouragement of marriage’ that are fully consistent with women’s nature and the true interests and needs of society, whereas in Western culture there are endless sexual restraints,” he added. Destructive sexual urges are completely ignored. ”
Characterizing women and men in Islam as two harmonious elements that share many commonalities, while exhibiting certain differences rooted in their physical and natural constitutions, the leader said, “These two complementary elements serve to govern human societies, ensure the survival of humanity, advance civilization, meet the needs of communities, and manage daily life.”
In this important role, Khamenei identified the establishment of the family as one of his most important responsibilities, adding: “Unlike the mistaken neglect of the family unit in Western culture, Islam provides for concrete and reciprocal rights for women, men and children as the fundamental elements of the family.”
In another part of his remarks, the Leader identified “justice in social and familial conduct” as the paramount right of women, and stressed the obligation of the government and all members of society to guarantee this right, saying: “The preservation of security, dignity and honor are also among the primary rights of women. Unlike Western capitalism, which crushes the dignity of women, Islam places utmost emphasis on respecting and preserving the honor of women.”
Khamenei emphasized the importance of women’s intelligence and behavior, citing the example of two religious women mentioned in the Quran, the Holy Mary and Asiyah (Pharaoh’s wife), as examples for all religious men and women. “Women’s social rights, such as equal pay with men for the same work, insurance for working women and women heads of households, special leave for women, and dozens of other matters, must be upheld without discrimination and fully preserved,” she said.
She said that a woman’s greatest right and need within the family is “the love of her husband,” adding, “Another major right of a woman within the family is to reject all forms of violence against women and to completely avoid deviations that are common in Western countries, such as the killing and beating of women by men and husbands.”
Explaining the contrast between the capitalist view of women and the Islamic perspective, Khamenei said: “In Islam, women have independence, competence, identity, and the possibility of advancement. Capitalist thinking, on the other hand, assimilates women’s identities to men, ignores dignity and honor, and treats women as material objects, instruments of desire and pleasure. The criminal syndicates that have been making a fuss in the United States lately are assimilating women’s identities to men. Such a view.”
Khamenei cited the “destruction of the family unit,” the emergence of evils such as the weakening of family bonds, networks that prey on young girls, and the promotion of sexual promiscuity in the name of freedom, as among the grave sins of capitalist culture over the past two centuries. He added: “Western capitalism deceptively labels this vast injustice as ‘freedom’ and even uses this term to encourage such behavior in its own countries, but this is not freedom but enslavement.”
Commenting on Western countries’ insistence on exporting a flawed culture to the world, Khamenei added: “They claim that certain restrictions imposed on women, including the hijab, are hindering their progress. However, the Islamic Republic has overruled this false logic and demonstrated that Muslim women, who are committed to the Muslim cover, can advance further than others and play an influential role in any field.”
The Leader said that the scientific, athletic, intellectual, academic, political and social achievements of Iranian women, advances in health and medicine, increased life expectancy, and the selfless support and empowering presence of the wives of honored martyrs are unprecedented achievements in the history of Iran. Never before in Iranian history has Iran possessed even one-hundredth of this number of scholars, intellectuals, insightful and independent thinkers.The Islamic Republic has elevated women and enabled their advancement in all important fields.